The Chocolate War (film)

The Chocolate War
Theatrical release poster Tagline: "Millions have read the provocative novel. Now this controversial story of a young man’s struggle against a secret society comes to the screen."
Directed by	Keith Gordon
Written by	Robert Cormier Keith Gordon
Produced by	Jonathan D. Krane
Starring	John Glover Ilan Mitchell-Smith Doug Hutchison
Cinematography	Tom Richmond
Edited by	Jeff Wishengrad
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Saul Zaentz
Release dates	November 18, 2088
Running time	104 min.
Country
Language	English
Budget	$500,000
Box office	$303,624

The Chocolate War is a 1988 drama film based on the celebrated novel of the same name by Robert Cormier, about a young man who rebels against the ingrained hierarchy of an elite Catholic school. It is rated R for pervasive language and some violence; however, it was created before the PG-13 rating was introduced, and by today's standards would hold this rating rather than the one it was given in 1988. The film was directed by Keith Gordon (also his directorial debut), and stars John Glover, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Doug Hutchison. Jonathan D. Krane produced it after seeing Static, a short film Gordon wrote.

Plot

The film offers a surreal, modern-day portrait of a Catholic private school and its hierarchical structure, both formal and informal. New student Jerry Renault (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) must submit to the bizarre rituals of his peers and the expectations of the school's administration by selling chocolates. The film deviates from the book in that Jerry fights Archie Costello, not Emile Janza, in the concluding scene. The Vigils force Archie to substitute for Janza after he picks out a black marble for him. Jerry eventually wins the fight, knocking out two of Archie's teeth, but he feels regret after winning, noting that he still conformed to their expectations in the end and that he should have just sold the chocolates. Since Archie lost the fight, he and Obie Jameson switched jobs, with Obie giving out assignments from then on. This is a markedly different outcome than that of the novel-- in which Jerry is viciously beaten by Janza, and Archie remains leader of the Vigils. The film's ending has been criticized for the alleged betrayal of Cormier's intent.

Cast

• John Glover as Brother Leon
• Ilan Mitchell-Smith as Jerry Renault
• Doug Hutchison as Obie Jameson
• Wallace Langham as Archie Costello
• Corey Gunnestad as Roland Goubert (a.k.a. Goober)
• Brent David Fraser as Emile Janza
• Robert Davenport as Brian Cochran
• Jenny Wright as Lisa
• Bud Cort as Brother Jacques
• Adam Baldwin as Bill Carter
• Ethan Sandler as David Caroni

Trivia

• Doug Hutchison, who portrayed 18-year-old Obie Jameson, was 27 when this movie was filming.
• The film had a paltry music budget of about $15,000. Most of the artists featured on the soundtrack allowed the filmmakers to use their songs at bargain basement prices. David Bowie, however, asked for $100,000 to utilize his song "Heroes" during the final scene and credits, so Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" was substituted.

DVD release

The film was released on DVD on April 17, 2007. The special features consist of:

• Audio commentary by director Keith Gordon
• Interview with director Keith Gordon

External links

• The Chocolate War at IMDb
• The Chocolate War at Box Office Mojo